HHS to delay 2015 Obamacare enrollment by a month

Health and Human Services plans to delay the start of the second year of Obamacare enrollment by one month to allow insurers more time to set rates after assessing their plan experiences during 2014, a department official said Thursday night.

The decision means that sign-ups for the 2015 plan year would begin on Nov. 15, 2014, and end on Jan. 15, 2015, instead of the Oct. 15-Dec. 7 window previously announced. The date change, first reported by Bloomberg, also lengthens the enrollment period by a week. Doing so would give companies more opportunity to account for individuals, particularly young adults, who come in late during the plan’s first year, which has gotten off to a rocky start. The goal is premiums that more accurately reflect costs for those insured.

6 major players in ACA debacle

The HHS official said the change is “good news for consumers, who will have more time to learn about plans before enrolling.” Insurers would have until late May 2014 to submit applications to offer health plans during 2015, and the state and federal exchanges would get more breathing room to ensure their enrollment systems are ready for individuals.

The change will not affect any coverage during Obamacare’s first year, which is set to begin Jan. 1.

This article first appeared on POLITICO Pro at 9:54 p.m. on Nov. 21, 2013.